


Our Gifts in all Their (Tacky) Splendor

by Darkhymns



Category: Tales of Symphonia
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Gen, Gift Giving, Humor, Ugly Holiday Sweaters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-10
Updated: 2020-01-10
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:34:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22196362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darkhymns/pseuds/Darkhymns
Summary: The holidays are already over, but Yuan still has half a mind to finish up his present for the Yggdrasills. Whether they would be good presents were another matter entirely.
Relationships: Yuan Ka-Fai/Martel Yggdrasill
Comments: 6
Kudos: 6





	Our Gifts in all Their (Tacky) Splendor

**Author's Note:**

> Secret Santa gift for @prettysailormimi on tumblr! I'm sorry for the lateness, but here's a short holiday story! I really wanted to include 'ugly sweater contest' into the story in some way, and for some reason, my brain could only do it within a modern AU. I hope okay, but I'd be happy to rewrite something else if it's not to your liking! But I sincerely hope you enjoy, and Happy Holidays!

Mithos peered over Yuan’s shoulder with a curious stare. “What are you doing?”

“Gah!” Yuan jumped, which was more than embarrassing for him. "Oh, Mithos. You just…startled me."

"I seem to do that quite a bit to you, don't I?" The young boy smirked, blue eyes glinting at what Yuan held in his hands. "Are those knitting needles?"

Yuan looked to his lap, as if he had never seen the objects before in all his life. "Suppose they are…"

Despite knowing Mithos for a few months now, Yuan still had trouble gauging the boy's behavior at times...but if Martel had trusted him enough to watch over her brother as she went out on errands, perhaps he was overreacting over nothing. The two siblings had a small place on the outskirts of the city, one that Yuan needed to take two-hour long train ride to. But even with the tiring commute, just arriving at their home was enough to revitalize him. He had truly begun looking forward to visiting each week.

Yet he had wondered for a while if Mithos actually liked him. The boy kept staring at Yuan, expecting more explanations out of him, more answers. Few adults would stare him down such as this.

So Yuan held up the knitting needles, where streams of green yarn streamed from their tips. "I'm making a sweater. For the holidays."

Mithos tilted his head. "That was last week, Yuan."

"W-well, a belated holiday accessory then!" Yuan sputtered. "Knitting helps pass the time, you see.” 

“Hm, well, I guess belated is better than nothing.” At this, Mithos grinned. “Sis is still waiting for you to give her that present!”

Yuan once again lost his sense of composure, nearly dropping the needles onto the carpet and only having enough sense to catch them at the very last second (and nearly pricking his fingers as he fumbled for them).

Mithos, seeing the reaction, could only laugh. “What? You didn’t think I’d notice? You’re using  _ green _ yarn! Like I wouldn’t know her favorite color?”

“I can also like green myself, you know!”

“Sure.” Mithos then walked off, apparently bored. “Anyway, she called earlier and said she’ll be home about an hour earlier than she thought. So you might want to hurry up on that.”

Faster than the human eye could follow, Yuan gathered his needles, his yarn, and his sense of urgency as he frantically tried to will his hands to go at mach speed. He would have to just make sure he got every stitch right the first time!

Why did he always have to be so late with presents?

* * *

When Martel came home, she expected Yuan to greet her at the door like he usually did, always so happy to take her bags full of food, clothes, hardware tools, (the house roof had been leaky lately and it needed fixing!), first-aid kits (for when Yuan would try to help her with said roof work), and even a few extra treats she’d get from a local shop to give to her little brother.

But instead, she went inside to see an empty living room. There were still remnants of a few holiday decorations - such as small pine tree, decorated in a multitude of angel figurines that Mithos had been mostly in charge of while Martel had placed the star topper. Wrapping paper still littered the ground, for when she and Mithos had exchanged presents with one another. Nothing too expensive or fancy, but the holidays had always been a special time for them both to spend the days with each other when there was no work or school. She had wanted Yuan to be a part of it too, considering how much he had visited them lately…

Taking a closer look, she saw the living room wasn’t exactly empty - for Mithos was there, laid out on the couch that was also half-covered in old wrapping paper, so engrossed with a video game that he pressed the screen a bit close to his face. “Mithos? Is Yuan still here?” Maybe she had taken too long and he had gone back home? 

“Ah, he’s around,” he said absently. Then he swiveled his gaze to his sister with a smile. “My guess is that he’s hiding.”

“Hiding? Oh! Are you two playing a game? It’s so nice to see you both get along.” Martel was beaming as she carried her bags with ease as she began to set them down at a nearby table. (She had never needed help with carrying her things as Yuan would assume, but it always seemed to cheer him up when she would let him). “Are you having trouble looking for him?”

“No, he’s upstairs hiding in a corner of the hallway.” Mithos laughed then. “That’s why the lights up there are off!”

“Mithos! How could you- agh!” The voice that floated from upstairs hiccuped in mid-sentence.

“Ohh, I was wondering about that,” Martel mused with a giggle. She clasped her hands, looking expectantly up the stairs where darkness spilled over the steps. It would almost be rather ominous if she hadn’t heard Yuan’s voice just a moment ago. “Have you gotten lost up there, Yuan?”

Mithos was still laughing, his voice as light as his sister’s own laughter. “He probably hasn’t even finished it yet.”

“Mithos, please!”

“Finished what? I want to see!” Martel was now looking up the stairs expectantly. “Please, Yuan?”

Even so, Yuan couldn’t hide forever. After a brief silence, there followed the slow plodding of steps as he finally descended. “I haven’t even finished casting the sleeves yet…”

With a sigh, facing Martel, Yuan held up his late present in defeat. Martel gasped, while Mithos put on a scrutinizing gaze to the proffered item.

“I sincerely hope you do actually like the color green,” Yuan muttered.

“You still have your knitting needles there, you know,” said Mithos, being as helpful as ever.

“I-I wasn’t done! And now these darn things are stuck…”

Martel paid no attention to the argument, reaching out to take her present - a lovingly woven sweater, as green as the tree in her living room, as green as her hair, her eyes, and even her dress - and honestly, holding the sweater only emphasized all that green so much. Yet it looked like Yuan had even designed something on the front. As she looked over it, Yuan held up his hands. 

“It’s… it’s a bit of work in progress! I know it seems a little-”

"‘Feeling just  _ pine’,"  _ Martel read aloud, seeing the words stitched into the front, alongside a depiction of said pine tree. She laughed, the sound as soft as jingling bells. "Yuan! You are so clever!"

Yuan couldn't get any redder if he tried. Mithos was grinning. Somehow, in some way, he felt he was the butt of a joke that he had foolishly started. 

“And I love trees! How did you even know?”

“Probably due to all of the trees you’ve planted in our backyard…” Mithos answered, but he knew it would go unheard. His sister was falling head over heels for Yuan again. A brief roll of his eyes, but he was smiling.

“This is so lovely! I’m going to wear it right now.”

“Martel! The knitting needles are still there…”

And even though it was quite clear that the sweater was very much not finished - the sleeves were mostly unravelled and the hem of the sweater looked quite a bit frayed, stitches not exactly tightened as best as they could be - Martel could barely wait to put it on. The knitting needles were carefully placed to the side while she showed off her new present to her brother. “Mithos! Did you see? Ask me how I’m feeling? Come on!”

Mithos sighed. “How are you feeling, sis?”

“I’m feeling  _ pine! _ ” Martel placed a hand against her mouth, laughing at the word play. Yuan looked like he was about to faint with all that blood rushing to his head.

“Maybe I should have picked a different pun…”

“Don’t see why. Looks like you’ve gotten my sister the perfect present,” Mithos conceded. Maybe he had slightly doubted Yuan would have gotten something done in time, but he should have also known that Martel wouldn’t have cared. Yuan could have gotten her a sweater from Martel’s own closet and she’d still be so thrilled. 

“Ah, that reminds me,” Martel said and strolled towards one of the bags she had brought back home, already rummaging through its contents. “I got something for you too, Yuan!”

“What?” Yuan said dumbly before smiling even  _ more _ dumbly… somehow. At least that was how Mithos viewed it.

“Yes! And it makes me happy that you would have a similar idea… but I don’t have any knitting skills.” With that she handed him off something soft-looking, a deep azure color, and with… little lights attached to it. “I’m late with your present, but I finally had time to shop for one. I hope you like it!”

“You  _ also _ got him a sweater?” Mithos said, barely able to contain his laughter.

Yuan was staring before then taking the gift in shaking hands. “Are those...string lights?”

“Yes! And they form a picture of a snowman! Isn’t it adorable?” Martel was stunning in her radiance, while Yuan was just stunned.

“Looks like a fire hazard,” Mithos said in a low voice while standing next to Yuan, low enough that he was sure his sister couldn’t hear him. Louder, he crossed his arms and goaded on the man. “Well, put it on!”

“I think this might be too big…”

And, well, it was. The sweater practically draped across his shoulders as he put it over his head, and the hem nearly dropped to his knees. But one good thing! The lights sewn into the sweater worked perfectly, and they blinked out a festive design of a snowman, happily smiling to match with Yuan’s own nervous smile. But even then, Martel didn’t seem to notice. She took Yuan’s hands, entwining them within her fingers. “We match very well, Yuan! This has been the best holiday for me in so long.”

Yuan, in his own embarrassing attire, could only sigh. He didn’t let go of her hands. “Martel...I just wanted to tell you that-”

“Hey, I just realized,” Mithos knowingly interrupted. “You never got me a present, Yuan.” At this, Mithos pouted. “I guess I’m just not as important.”

Mithos expected another sputter, another deflection of words - but this time, Yuan only smirked. “You shouldn’t underestimate me so easily, Mithos.”

“...What?”

Even Martel was surprised, blinking at Yuan. “Oh? Did you get him a present as well?”

Yuan unlinked their hands so he could head back upstairs. “Be right back!”

“Wait, hold on.” Mithos narrowed his eyes, not trusting Yuan’s sudden mood shift in the slightest. “Why would you be done with my present before Martel’s anyway?”

“Because you’re smaller!” he called back from above. 

Mithos did not like that answer, but Martel nodded in understanding. “Makes sense!”

“No, it doesn’t…”

But when Yuan came back from the top of the stairs, he already had in his hands another sweater, this one looking much more complete than Martel’s. “Go ahead. I figured you would like this.”

“...I don’t-”

“Oh, it looks adorable! Go on, Mithos…”

Now Mithos was having an idea of what it was like to be in Yuan’s place just moments before.

There were no electric lights on this one that continually blinked like Yuan’s did, nor were there dreaded holiday puns - but it did have something on its front. A design on it, one that on first glance, didn’t really look too bad until -

“Is this me in an angel costume?” Mithos asked blankly.

Martel was smiling so wide. “Oh, that suits you perfectly, Mithos!”

“What? That’s not true!”

“I just observed and made some artistic liberties,” Yuan explained, sounding really smug for someone in a lit-up piece of wool. 

Mithos then realized that this sweater was only partly for him anyway - it was still mostly for his sister, who looked like she was in heaven right now.

“Aren’t you going to wear it, Mithos?” she asked curiously. “We should all take a picture for the holidays!”

“But the holidays were a week ago!” Mithis once again argued, but then turned to the side. Still, he had rarely seen Martel this happy before. She was typically content, or calm, but Yuan’s stupid presents were having quite an effect on her…

Swallowing his own pride, he slipped on the sweater, sporting an angelic version of himself in the front. “There,” he said, hoping that would be it. “Why are you smirking now?” he then asked Yuan.

“I wasn’t doing anything of the sort,” Yuan said, all while he was definitely smirking. 

“Come on, you two! I already have the camera ready. We can mail this out to everyone!”

“Wh-” Yuan turned to Martel in lightning-fast speed. Clear enough, she had her phone camera, ready to publicly broadcast the three of them to the world. “Are you sure about that?”

But Martel would not answer, already selecting the right portrait size and filters. Still, at least Mithos would give one final protest. “Everyone’s gonna think we’re having some kind of ugly sweater contest or something…”

“Oh, that’s perfect! We can send a picture of us and ask people who to vote for! I really hope mine will win!” Martel was quickly gathering the two near her as she held up her phone overhead.

“Ha! She called your sweater ugly, Yuan.”

“No! That’s not-!”

“Alright, everyone get close!”

“Martel, I don’t think you can even see our sweaters from this angle…”

“Good idea. I’m gonna hide a bit more in the back then-”

“Mithos! Since you’re shorter, I think it would be prudent for you to be in the front.”

“That’s a great idea, Yuan! Mithos, come stand by me.”

“Thanks a lot…”

But even with some grumbling, some flushed and embarrassed faces, and maybe a few hairs getting caught onto the lights from Yuan’s sweater, Mithos couldn’t help but find himself smiling as the camera’s light went bright, definitely blinding a few eyes here and there.

The holidays were last week, and he and Martel had already given their presents to each other, but somehow, with Yuan’s help, things felt extra special now. Maybe keeping this ugly sweater wouldn’t be so bad. He’d only wear it during the holidays after all.


End file.
